Fifty First Dates meets Groundhog Day Again and Again and. .

“Every morning we have to remind it, it’s a tree.” 

Henry

Georgina Castle as Lucy and Josh St Clair as Henry. (Photo: Pamela Raith)

Well, there I was in complete ignorance, working out that at 100 minutes running time, that would be two minutes per date.  The curtain going up confirmed photographs of a large number of couples and venues all around the world.  But sadly that was not to be.  Despite the maps shown behind, the closest we got to anyhere else other than a café in Key Largo, Florida was a muddled Venetian backdrop.

By the completely standing, apart from me, ovation at the end of the show I have to conclude that either the audience were expressing thanks for their free ticket or there are many followers for the original movie who longed to see their favourite movie go musically from screen to stage.  It is interesting though that it is in London,  and not Broadway or off Broadway, that sees the World Premiere of 50 First Dates.

Cast (Photo: Pamela Raith)

My worst fears were realised when Josh St Clair’s voice failed to hit some of the notes in his first song but thankfully his voice got a lot stronger in the later numbers. The story is a love story about a man (St Clair) who seems to be paid to arrange a single perfect date with a multitude of women for some kind of film or television programme.  He is called the Perfect Date Guy.  He has an assertive agent Delilah (Natasha O’Brien) who power dressed in black and silver jewellery phones him continuously to check on his movements which are meant to be in the direction of Europe.   

This musical is excessively loud, full of energy and over the top vibrancy and I note that Casey Nicholaw who was originally listed as director and choreographer is now, direction and musical staging. This to me, speaks volumes about the man who gave us the brilliant and hysterically funny dance in “Turn It Off” in The Book of Mormon. 

Georgina Castle as Lucy. (Photo: Pamela Raith)

The heroine of the musical is Lucy (Georgina Castle fresh from the lead in Mean Girls) whom Henry meets in Ukelele Sue (Aisha Naomi Pease)’s café in Key Largo where Lucy is rearranging her pile of waffles in the shape of a house.  It emerges that Lucy has had a car accident where she has lost her memory of everything that has happened since the car crash into a tree.  The condition she has is anterograde amnesia and she has no memory of each day that passes. 

Lucy has however remembered how to sing beautifully and has great duets with Henry. 

Cast (Photo: Pamela Raith)
Cast (Photo: Pamela Raith)

So now the meaning of Fifty First Dates  sinks in although Henry is considerably slower than we are to realise it.  Imagine being able to relive every day that first stomach flutter of new love when you meet someone you are really attracted to, as if it is for the first time.  Henry meets Lucy’s protective family, her father Martin Whitmore (John Marquez) and her burly brother Doug (Charlie Toland) who are very suspicious of Henry. 

You can be assured that this musical will find a happy ending and I expect that Korea, having loved the film will happily anticipate its arrival.  Not one for me I’m afraid, but to the rest of you, ENJOY!

Cast (Photo: Pamela Raith)

Musical Numbers

Prologue

Everything

Coffee, Friends and Happy Endings

Key Largo

They’re Not you

I’ll Be Back tomorrow

Happy Sunday

Stay Away

Good Morning Lucy

First Kiss

Perfect Day

Paint What You Feel

Finale 

 

Production Notes

50 First Dates

Book, Music and Lyrics  by Steve Rosen and David Rossmer

Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw

Cast

Starring:

Josh St Clair

Georgina Castle

Georgia Arron

Aizaac Aruna

Zoë Ann Bown

Emily Olive Boyd

Greg Stylianou Burns

Cole Dunn

Samuelle Durojaiye

Paul Kemble

John Marquez

Natasha O’Brien

Aiesha Naomi Pease

David Pendlebury

Martha Pothen

Ricky Rojas

Chad Saint Loui

Samantha Thomas,

Charlie Toland

,

Creatives

Director and Choreographer: Casey Nicholas

Designer: Fly Davis

Musical Director:  George Carter

Lighting Designer:  Aideen Malone

Sound Designer: Adam Fisher

Orchestration and Arrangements:   Matthew Jackson

Musical Supervisor: Richard Beadle

Projection Design: George Reeve

Information

Running Time: One hour 40 minutes without an interval

Booking until 16th November 2025

Address:

The Other Palace 

Palace Street

Victoria

London SW1E 5JA 

Rail/Tube: Victoria

Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge

 

at the Other Palace on 

25th September 2025